Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We know that climate action and low carbon development are urgently required at a national and international level. I appreciate that the Minister has considered at least 78 amendments and I welcome this approach. He has a target of climate resilience and climate neutrality by 2050 with carbon budgets at five-year intervals. Ministers and Departments will be charged with sectoral emission ceilings and will report to the Oireachtas joint committee. This has to be practical. The Minister indicated there will be front-loading of more than 50% of the reductions in the first two five-year budgets, taking us to 2030. This will place severe pressure on a number of sectors over the next ten years.

The Minister has said we have to be fair and equitable, and that the voices of groups must be heard. We must live up to this element of public participation. I speak on behalf of communities in Roscommon and east Galway in the west and many of my Seanad colleagues have done the same. Just transition has had a major impact on Shannonbridge and Lanesborough in my area, with job losses in Bord na Móna and the ESB. We need job creation. The just transition fund is welcome in the area but we must get these projects off the ground and up and running. They are still in preparation and some are still not across the line.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland report on emissions for 2018 showed that transport accounted for 40% of the energy-related CO2 emissions. We also need to look at housing and retrofitting. We need to look at all of these areas, not solely agriculture. The Minister has set a major target for creating energy sustainable communities. My town, Ballinasloe, is part of this plan. The IFA has raised concerns about why we are not counting hedgerows for carbon sequestration and referred to the value of our peatlands and callows areas. We have some excellent peatlands, particularly in the west, such as Carrownagappul bog in Mountbellew, and pristine lands, some owned by Bord na Móna, that have never been used. Our regional areas are delivering for the country in terms of sequestration.

As Fine Gael spokesperson on research and innovation, I would like to see a significant focus in this area. What funding will be allocated by the Department to support research by Teagasc or the putting in place of agricultural measures by Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, in the areas of agrifood and climate action? MaREI is a fantastic SFI research centre in UCC that works with those in many other areas.

Our farmers are also taking the lead in the context of carbon emissions.